Chronus is the leader in mentoring software. Their configurable platform is powering hundreds of successful mentoring programs for some of the world’s largest companies, educational institutions, and professional associations. With unique MatchIQ™ technology, a guided experience for participants, and the most configurable platform in the industry, Chronus enables mentoring programs to efficiently scale and drive more strategic value for organizations worldwide.

Great mentors invest in the success of their mentees and, often, that means pushing them beyond their expectations. An article from Kauffman Entrepreneurs ties this one back to one of pop culture's greatest examples of mentorship, the Star Wars character, Yoda:

"Yoda sets out one challenge after another for Luke to help Luke manage himself better, hone his skills and more fully appreciate his responsibilities to use The Force for good."

Takeaway: If you're a mentor, be like Yoda. Always expect more from your mentees. They may not know what they're capable of otherwise.

"Being a sounding board for your mentee, allowing them to discuss the situation with you, then helping them to think through the situation by asking them questions to draw out the consequences of various actions, is always more empowering for a mentee than advising them what to do. It helps them work through the issue and come to their own conclusions. By doing so, you ultimately help them to learn to think through issues themselves and trust their own judgment, both valuable life skills."

Communication can be difficult. The next time you find yourself in a communication bind, remember that everyone views the world through different eyes. What may be very clear to you could be out of focus for other individuals.

While some protégés love suggesting potential activities for their mentoring sessions, others often either lack ideas or are simply unsure of what exactly a mentoring activity is. As a mentor, give your mentee a range of activities to choose from, and allow them to pick from the list.

As a protégé, remember that when your mentor critiques you, he or she is simply trying to help. Respond positively to advice and suggestions given to you by your mentor, and attempt to make improvements based on his or her guidance.

Occasional random occurrences may prevent the mentor or the protégé from fulfilling their duties in the mentoring relationship. Keep communication open to help resolve such issues, and try to get back on track as soon as possible. Understand that interruptions and delays are a fact of life, and attempt to work around them!

Here are some solutions to the the problems mentioned in our last post titled "Bad Mentoring Relationships". Once again, these came from a great article co-authored by one of the keynote speakers from last years UNM Mentoring Conference, Dr. Lillian Eby. To read the article in full, click here.